on the way down
by Pandastacia
Summary: She brought together a team to rewrite a game- The Game. One with rules that had deep roots. She chose her players from those of her enemies. In each other, they find more than bloody pasts. ItaSaku AU


title: the beginning  
author: pandastacia  
dedication: to everyone who has ever wished they could avenge a friend & do well by them at the same time.  
disclaimer: I would never have killed off Itachi if I had owned Naruto  
notes: Wow, never thought I would write a crime!/mafia!fic ever, but my dream last night came out like this & I couldn't help writing it out. Hope you enjoy it. :)  
notes pt 2: Yes, it is short, but the chapters after this should be relatively long. I have a general idea where this is heading, but the updates will be either weekly or biweekly. I'll decide based on when I update next. I'm in my last year of high school so I am rather busy.

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_Sometimes the greatest gains only come from great sacrifices._

_If anyone had ever bothered to ask him, he would have told them he never believed he would ever change the world._

She fingered the simple silver chain around her neck absentmindedly as she stared out the window. Despite the screeching of some seagulls this early in the morning, the young woman could hear nothing but the dial tone humming in her right ear.

The beach below glowed with a radiance as the sun lit upon it. It was a little after six, but she felt very awake.

There was just one more thing that she needed to put into place so that the plan could go ahead.

_Would you approve of this,_ she wondered, but the click of someone answering her call brought her back to the present immediately.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Shisui."

Silence greeted her on the other end.

"Who are you?"

His tone was wary, but she could not blame him.

In the phone book, he came up as a Kentaro Sumio, but she knew better.

"A friend."

A dangerous answer, she supposed. There was a reason that people who belonged in organizations like Fire and Akatsuki were trained to not develop bonds. When you gain attachments like friends and lovers, the goals of your employer become second to the well-being of those you genuinely cared about.

They lose power over those they're supposed to control.

It's dangerous.

Her smile became bitter. Bonds create loss when those you care about are gone, but they do more than that.

They create awareness- consciousness- to the truth.

She heard a pause in his speech and, for a second, fear flitted through her. What if she had scared him away? Her plan, while it didn't rest on the answer of one Shisui Uchiha, would certainly be a lot smoother with him in than out. While she could, she suppose, use Naruto Uzumaki instead, Shisui would be preferable. As close as she was to Naruto, he would be a big question mark- a possible leak.

And a leak was the last thing she needed.

But she restrained the fear and gave a small chuckle.

"Don't worry. I don't mean to cause any harm. I do, however, have a proposition for you."

He snorted into the mouthpiece. "Who ever means to cause harm?"

"Akatsuki."

She knew shock when she heard nothing but breathing that quickened.

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_She raced down the stairs, not bothering to look up. Shuriken whistled past her, embedding in the wall, as she counted the floors passing her by._

_Two left…_

_Footsteps followed her as she grabbed the banister, threw her weight over it, and landed precariously on the one below it. The briefcase was throwing her balance off, but she needed it. Not even pausing to catch her breath, she deflected the kunai her pursuer was throwing at her with one of her own, barely sending it at a different angle._

_Running down the remaining stairs, she threw open the door at the end and immediately fled around the corner. The car was parked right there. She flung herself into the driver's seat and the briefcase into the passenger side even as the car hummed into life and she stepped on the accelerator._

_The result was immediate- it started forward. She was just exiting the parking lot and turning the corner when the door to the stairs opened._

_He never even saw her license plate number._

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"What are you saying?"

If she was there with him, she knew she would be able to see his pulse beating in his neck even as an artist's hand with its deceptive strength started to cause the plastic of his phone to crackle with the abuse.

She had seen his file, knew his name, his rating at the last Akatsuki testing spar. What he looked like and his strengths were the least of her knowledge.

It had been his psychoanalysis personality files that had interested her. Along with the rest of the people whose files she had gotten through less than legal means, she was searching for certain people. They were brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons. But she was looking to find the right people to create a certain group dynamic.

He would be the glue that would hold the group together.

Ignoring his question, she said, "Go to the Riverwalk Cafe at four fifty seven sharp tomorrow afternoon. Ask for Mei- she'll have long auburn hair with green eyes. Ask for the house special and she'll direct you to a room. Wait there. You will know what to do."

With that, she hung up, stuffing the Droid into the green handbag on the table.

Giving a sigh, Sakura ruffled her hair.

"Let the games begin," she murmured.

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**Author Note**: & let the games begin!

Read & Review! I like constructive criticism. :)

If you like ItaSaku, I suggest Decidedly Positive's "The Consequences of Snooping & "The Consequences of Uchiha". It's nonmassacre & trés awesome. Also, Sariasprincy has some excellent ItaSaku as does Lady Silvamord.

heartheartheart  
Sonya


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